John Cabot's Voyage of 1497 Facebook John Cabot's Voyage of 1497 There is very little precise contemporary information about the 1497 voyage. If Cabot kept a log, or made maps of his journey, they have disappeared. What we have as evidence is scanty: a few maps from the first part of the 16th century which appear to contain information obtained from Cabot, and some letters from non-participants reporting second-hand on what had occurred. As a result, there are many conflicting theories and opinions about what actually happened. 19th Century Interpretation of John Cabot's Discovery of North America Over the years, the exact location of John Cabot's 1497 landfall has been a great subject of debate for scholars and historians. "Discovery of North America, by John and Sebastian Cabot" drawn by A.S. Warren for Ballou's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion, April 7, 1855. From Charles de Volpi, Newfoundland: A pictorial Record (Sherbrooke, Quebec: Longman Canada Limited, ©1972) 1.

Cabot's ship was named the Matthew, almost certainly after his wife Mattea. It was a navicula, meaning a relatively small vessel, of 50 toneles - able to carry 50 tons of wine or other cargo. It was decked, with a high sterncastle and three masts. The two forward masts carried square mainsails to propel the vessel forward. The rear mast was rigged with a lateen sail running in the same direction as the keel, which helped the vessel sail into the wind. Modern-day Replica of John Cabot's Ship, the Matthew Although there is no contemporary 15th-century depiction of the Matthew this historical replica was built for the 'Cabot 500' anniversary celebrations in Newfoundland during the summer of 1997. This photo shows the Matthew during its call at St. John's Harbour. Reproduced by permission of Wayne Sturge. Photo ©1997. There were about 20 people on board. Cabot, a Genoese barber(surgeon), a Burgundian, two Bristol merchants, and Bristol sailors. Whether any of Cabot's sons were members of the crew cannot be verified.

The Matthew left Bristol sometime in May, 1497. Some scholars think it was early in the month, others towards the end. It is generally agreed that he would have sailed down the Bristol Channel, across to Ireland, and then north along the west coast of Ireland before turning out to sea. But how far north did he go? Again, it is impossible to be certain. All one can say is that Cabot's point of departure was somewhere between 51 and 54 degrees north latitude, with most modern scholars favouring a northerly location. The next point of debate is how far Cabot might have drifted to the south during his crossing. Some scholars have argued that ocean currents and magnetic variations affecting his compass could have pulled Cabot far off course. Others think that Cabot could have held approximately to his latitude. In any event, some 35 days after leaving Bristol he sighted land, probably on 24 June. Where was the landfall? Cabot was back in Bristol on 6 August, after a 15 day return crossing. This means that he explored the region for about a month. Where did he go?

The Legend of John Cabot, Explorer and the Cabot Rock The History and the Mystery of John Cabot and the Cabot Rock Forget Christopher Columbus! Newfoundland has its own share of famous explorers and "firsts", when Chris was just a twinkle in his mother's eye! First off were the Vikings, the real discoverers of North America around year 1000 (sorry Columbus). All visitors to Newfoundland should take the trip to L'Anse aux Meadows to see the Viking settlement there. The site is fascinating and well worth the trip up the "Viking Trail" (after you do the Baccalieu Trail, of course)! And then there is John Cabot, or Giovanni Caboto as he was really called, having been Italian by birth. Cabot sailed for King Henry VII of England in 1497, 5 years after Columbus. And just where do you think he landed in his little ship, "The Matthew"? Grates Cove, Newfoundland of course! And like any good discoverer, he left his mark to prove it. (More about the Cabot Rock later) .

Some people believe Cabot actually died in Grates Cove, and local townsfolk will tell you about an ancient earring and sword that were found, maybe belonging to him or his son Sancius. But before we give away the end of the story, let's start at the very beginning. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GIOVANNI CABOTO It is believed Cabot was born in 1455 near Naples, but his name is most often associated with Genoa. He married a Venetian woman named Mattea, and some speculate that his ship "The Matthew" was named for her. Although this is an interesting coincidence, there is no evidence to suggest that the ship was built especially for Cabot. It seems more likely that the Matthew was just one of several ships involved in the Bristol trade, and happened to be the one available of the right size for the right price at the time of the adventure. Cabot had 3 sons, Ludovico, Sebastiano (pictured right) and Sancio. Cabot went to Bristol, England around 1494, where he gained support for his ideas of sailing west across the north Atlantic from local merchants.

Eventually, he caught the attention of the King, who on March 5, 1496 awarded Cabot and his sons letters patent, giving them: "full and free authoritie, leave, and power, to sayle to all partes, countreys, and seas, of the East, of the West, and of the North, under our banners and ensignes, with five ships ... and as many mariners or men as they will have in saide ships, upon their own proper costes and charges, to seeke out, discover, and finde, whatsoever iles, countreyes, regions or provinces of the heathen and infidelles, whatsoever they bee, and in what part of the world soever they be, whiche before this time have beene unknowen to all Christians." Cabot's First Voyage 1496 was his first trip, and a big failure. We know what happened through a letter dated 1497 by John Day, an English merchant. He states that Cabot went with one ship, ran into a disagreement with his crew, ran short of food and had bad weather, so decided to turn around.

He was back in Bristol, it is reported, after only 15 days. Cabot's Second Voyage The second trip went better. Although Cabot had asked his backers for 5 ships this time, he received only one, "The Matthew". It was a navicula, a small vessel, with 3 masts and able to carry 50 tons of cargo. With 18 crewmen (including possibly his sons), he left Bristol in May of 1497. About one month later, reportedly June 24, 1497 (St. John's day), he landed on the east coast of North America, but it is not known exactly where. Many historians believe it was Newfoundland, while others say Cape Breton, Labrador, or even as far south as Maine. Vague details can be pieced together by several known writings in his time, but there is no first hand account left by Cabot himself. It is said that Cabot and his men went ashore, put up a cross and planted the banners of England and Venice, thus claiming the land for King Henry VII. They met no one, but saw signs of inhabitants, perhaps Beothuk indians.

One such writing, a letter from Raimondo de Soncino to the Duke of Milan, dated December 18, 1497, speaking of "The Admiral", Zoanne (Giovanni/John) Caboto, said that Cabot told him that the sea was full of fish, which were not only taken with a net, but by a basket that was lowered into the water with a stone. The Admiral felt that the fish was so plentiful, the Kingdom would no longer need Iceland as a trader of "stock-fish" (cod). What else could this describe, but Newfoundland and its codfish? The first map that records Cabot's discoveries is that of Juan de la Cosa published in 1500. It is thought to be a compilation of his voyages in 1497 and 1498, from which he presumably did not return. The coastline runs east to west, with english flags marking certain named places. Speculation abounds as to where this coastline is actually located, one possible scenario being the south coast of Newfoundland, which does indeed run generally east to west.

This would certainly discourage the idea that Grates Cove is where Cabot landed, as it is on the east coast on the Avalon peninsula. However, others speculate this could represent coastline of the Avalon, or St. Lawrence River, or Nova Scotia, or numerous other places, as there is no clear clues to grab ahold of. Each Discovery theorist will be able to interpret the map to suit their own purposes, and make very compelling arguments. So this writer will shamelessly do the same!.... From the documentary evidence, we learn that there was an island nearby where Cabot made his landfall. On the de la Cosa map, there is indeed an island just off the point of the "English coastline" . It is barely seen on the right of the map pictured here. It is labeled "Y. Verde", or in english, "Green Island". Anyone who has seen Baccalieu Island will agree immediately that it is a very green island indeed, and perhaps not coincidentally, the closest point nearby is called "Bay de Verde". From the book by Williamson, it is recorded that a scientific review of the original map by Guillen cites the first name on the eastern point of the coast as "C.

Grago", the "C" probably meaning "Cavo" or in english, "Cape". The meaning of the word "Grago" is unknown. One can see that it is not entirely dissimilar to the word "Grates", or one of its presumed origins, "Gratos". And Grates Cove is most certainly at the head of the Conception/Trinity Bay peninsula. More evidence is the map of the world made in 1507 by Johannes Ruysch. This is the second oldest map showing Cabot's discovery. There is evidence by the publisher of the map that suggests Ruysch actually accompanied Cabot on his 1497 voyage, and hence he drew the map from first-hand experience. On Ruysch's map, he shows "Terra Nova" or "New Land". He lists only 5 names, one being "IN. BACCALAURUS". The word "IN" is short for "Insula", or "Island". Depending on the scale, this might indicate the entire island of Newfoundland itself, or perhaps it represents Baccalieu Island, at the tip of Conception Bay near Grates Cove.

The island is nestled in a horseshoe shaped bay, which is very much like Conception Bay. The name "Baccalieu", therefore, is one of the first recorded and longest-lived names associated with Canada. It is likely this place was an important one to Ruysch, being 1 of only 5 places named on his map. Why else would Baccalieu Island be featured so prominently on this map, and every map of the time thereafter, had it not great importance to the explorers? Another interesting coincidence is that writings of the time suggest Cabot promised to name an island for a couple of his companions on the trip. There are only 3 known names of the passengers, one of whom was Giovanni Antonio de Carbonariis, a Milanese cleric. It is known that Cabot spent some 30 days traveling around the coast of the land he discovered. Is it possible that he fulfilled his promise to his friend, and that is how Carbonear Island, up the Conception Bay shore, got its name? Of the historians who believe the landfall was in Newfoundland, the debate is, where exactly?

Many people support the idea it was Cape Bonavista, because it is due west of Dursey Head in Ireland, where Cabot is reported to have left the mainland on his voyage, and because it is recorded as "the land first seen by Cabot" on a map made by Mason in 1617. Visitors to the Discovery Trail can see a replica of The Matthew moored there today. While these people may be right, the good folks of Grates Cove challenge this notion quite strenuously because of the Cabot Rock. Furthermore, "Land First Seen" does not necessarily mean "Land First Set Foot On"! Bonavista is the headland immediately across the bay from Grates Cove. It is quite possible that Cabot first saw Bonavista, but continued southerly to the next point, landing at Grates Cove, near to Baccalieu Island. The people of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia will dispute the landfall too for many reasons, including a notation on a world map made by Sebastian Cabot (Giovanni's son) in 1549 that shows the landfall made by his father in a place that looks like Cape Breton. The controversy continues!

Cabot's Third and Final Voyage The King was very pleased with Cabot upon his return, and granted a pension to him of £ 20 per year. In February 1498, King Henry granted Cabot his second letters patent, authorizing him to take 6 ships back to "the londe and iles of late founde by the seid John". In May 1498, John left with 5 ships, and 1 returned to Ireland after being damaged in a storm, but Cabot was never heard from again. Someone did indeed collect his pension on his behalf until 1499, but it is unclear if Cabot ever returned. Local legend has it that Giovanni Caboto and his son Sancio were killed near Grates Cove on his final voyage , which is tied into the legend of the Cabot Rock. While people assume that Cabot was lost with his ship the Matthew, there is strong evidence to suggest this is not the case. The name of the ship Cabot sailed in is only recorded for the 1497 voyage. There is no reason to conclude when he sailed in 1498 he used the same ship.

In fact, one would expect more people and provisions were sent the second time, and with presumably more money to back him after the first success, he likely took a larger ship. In fact, the Bristol records show a ship named "Matthew" in trade to various ports for several years after 1500, and it is very likely Cabot's first ship. So, while it is possible that Cabot was indeed shipwrecked and perished on his second journey, the Matthew is likely not at the bottom of the sea off the Grates Rock! The Legend of the Cabot Rock While Bonavista would like to lay claim to Cabot having made landfall there, no other place has as good a claim as Grates Cove to having been visited at some point by Cabot, and may perhaps be the final resting place for the man himself. Local residents will tell you about the Cabot Rock, first mentioned in historical writings in 1822 by William Epps Cormack in his journal which recorded his trek across Newfoundland in search of Beothuk Indians : "The Point of Grates is the part of North America first discovered by Europeans.

Sebastian Cabot landed here in 1497, and took possession of "The Newfoundland". He recorded the event by cutting an inscription, still perfectly legible, on a large block of rock that stands on the shore". (Cormack, like many people, confused Sebastian Cabot, the son of John and an explorer in his own right, as the one who made the trip in 1497). Cormack unfortunately doesn't say what the inscription said, but we learn this from Leo E.F. English, curator of the Newfoundland Museum, when he took pictures of the Rock in 1927. He claimed the rock showed the words: IO CABOTO :: SANCIUS :: SAINMALIA along with parts of other names. "IO", is the Italian word for "I ", therefore simply "I, Cabot", or possibly is short form for "Giovanni", and "SANCIUS" is Latin for his son's name, "Sancio". It is unclear what "SAINMALIA" means, except some speculate it is a reference to "Santa Maria".

English believed that the Rock was evidence carved by Cabot himself, or a member of his crew, that he had visited that spot, and perhaps might even commemorate the place as his landfall. Others speculate that it might be an inscription by the crew to mark where Cabot and his son Sancio died. But one thing seems clear; Cabot visited the place in either 1497 or 1498, or both! Most documentary evidence about Cabot's voyages was not discovered until the mid to late 1800's, and the most detailed and illuminating evidence, the John Day letter, was not discovered until the 1950's. It stands to reason that William Cormack, who saw the rock in 1822 and recorded its link to Cabot probably had little interest or understanding of the history surrounding Cabot, and would have no reason to lie about it. It seems most likely that he was just reporting what he saw, and of course the rock would have been much more legible 190 years ago. The evidence of Cormack is very compelling. Mr.

English, might have had his own biases, but when examining his 1927 photograph, it clearly says SOMETHING on it, which does not appear to be in english. One would have to wonder how and why words that could be spanish, portuguese or italian would be on a stone in Grates Cove, which was predominantly settled by the English and Irish in the late 1700's. Yes, there certainly were fishermen of these "romance language" countries in the area dating back to the 1500's, but when you add Cormack's 1822 assertion that the rock said "Cabot" and that it commemorated his landfall, one has to consider this quite seriously. The Evidence from Gaspar & Miguel Corte Real of Portugal There is further evidence to support the notion that Cabot died in Newfoundland, if not Grates Cove itself. This comes through another famous explorer, Gaspar Corte Real of Portugal, who visited Newfoundland shortly after Cabot, in the year 1500.

Although Real, like Cabot, did not return from his trip, two of his ships did return, bringing with them 57 natives (perhaps Beothuks) which had been captured and were to be sold as slaves to finance the trip. One of these, a boy, was wearing a pair of silver earrings of Venetian origin, and a broken Italian gilt sword was also found in their possession. This fact was reported in 1501 in a letter by Pietro Pasqualigo, Venetian Ambassador at the Court of Portugal, who wrote an account of the Corte Real voyage, just 11 days after it returned. In the letter he says: "The language they speak is not understood by anyone, though every possible tongue has been tried with them. In this country, there is no iron, but they make swords of a kind of stone, and point their arrows with the same material.

There has been brought hence a piece of a broken sword, inlaid with gold, which we can pronounce undoubtedly to have been made in Italy; and one of the children had in his ears two pieces of silver, which as certainly appear to have been made in Venice, a circumstance which induces me to believe that their country belongs to the continent, since it is evident, that, if it had been an island where any vessel had touched before this time, we should have heard of it." What Pasqualigo obviously did not know was that Cabot had reached these shores just 3 years earlier. These artifacts could have come from none other than Cabot, as no one else had travelled to North America in the two years between Cabot's and Real's voyages. Plus, Cabot was a Venetian, and from Italy, which is the origin of the earrings and sword. As Cabot only landed once on his trip in 1497, and says he did not meet any inhabitants, it is not possible they were left behind on that journey. So, it seems very clear that the artifacts were gained by the natives during Cabot's trip in 1498, from which he did not return.

It is not clear exactly where Real's crew took these natives captive, but it is known that he generally travelled from Labrador and down along the eastern Coast of Newfoundland. It is conceivable that this happened near Grates Cove. Interestingly, after Gaspar's disappearance, his brother Miguel, also an explorer, went looking for him in 1502. He too went missing and was never seen again. However, there was an amazing discovery in 1918 in Massachusetts. A large rock which had previously been submerged in Dighton, became visible above the water line. On it were numerous strange markings. It was determined by some scholars who studied it to contain the Portuguese coat of arms, and an inscription dated 1511 saying "Miguel Cortereal, by the will of God here chief among the indians". It is very interesting that another explorer possibly left his mark upon a rock to tell others of his fate, sounding eerily familiar to the Cabot Rock in Grates Cove! The Disappearance of the Cabot Rock By now you may be very intrigued by all of this, and would like to see the Cabot Rock for yourself. Well, unfortunately that can't happen, because legend has it that someone stole it!

The year is not clear, but residents report that "some time in the late fifties or early sixties ", two men in a media van showed up one day and chiselled part of the rock containing the inscription away. It has never been heard of since! (See the photo near the top, taken by Vicky Martin of Grates Cove. This is what is left, you can see the missing piece near the top. Look closely, and you can see writing near the middle of the rock. In comparing to Leo English's photo taken in 1929, this is the remnants of the word 'MALIA'. This writer has compared the photo of 1929 to the present day rock, and has to admit some skepticism about the story. There is no doubt that the event took place as recounted by the local fishermen who witnessed the "robbery". It seems likely that the people DID take away some piece chiselled from the rock, but likely from a corner or the very centre near the middle crack seen there today. There is no appreciable difference, however, in the two photos in the important middle face of the rock, where the inscription is reported to have been written.

So, even if something was taken away, it was not the inscription itself as local legend has it. Sadly, it is much more likely that over time the inscription has just slowly faded away, helped along by the saltwater spray and fish offal that spilled onto it for years from the nearby fishing stage sitting over top of it. So today, when you visit Grates Cove, you will see a memorial in a spot near where the Cabot Rock is located, but not the Cabot inscription itself. How frustrating is that?! It is a perilous climb down to see the rock itself, which is still standing large on its flat shelf by the waterline. But on close examination of the front, very little can be seen today. On the sides, however, other interesting dates and initials can be seen, dating back to the late 1600's. Unfortunately, all we have to go by now is the writings of historians, and the memories of the local citizens of Grates Cove to attest to the existence of the inscription on the Rock, and to claim that John Cabot did in fact visit the place.

While the Inscription is gone, the legend lives on, and when you visit Grates Cove, you will get a definite feeling about the possibilities it holds. On a foggy day, you can almost see the ghostly shape of The Matthew in our sheltered cove, and imagine Cabot and his crew walking the grassy hillsides. footer The Matthew The Matthew Size and Appearance The Matthew was the ship in which John Cabot sailed from Bristol to North America in 1497. Little is known about it. A few documents corroborate that it was named the Matthew (also spelled Mathew or Mathewe), and some historians have speculated that it may have been named after Cabot's wife, Mattea. John Day, a Bristol merchant, wrote in 1497-98 that Cabot “had only one ship of fifty toneless [tons] and twenty men and food for seven or eight months.” This makes it a relatively small vessel – Bristol customs accounts refer to it as a “navicula”, similar to a caravel. These were maneuverable vessels with three masts.

Replica of Cabot's Ship, the Matthew, Constructed at Bristol, England Although there is no contemporary 15th-century depiction of the Matthew, this historical replica was built for the 'Cabot 500' anniversary celebrations in Newfoundland during the summer of 1997. This photo shows the Matthew during its call at St. John's Harbour. Reproduced by permission of Wayne Sturge. Photo ©1997. It is not known where the Matthew was built, or when, though it was probably the mid-1490s. However, it could have been an older vessel, renamed and refitted for the Cabot voyage. After 1497, the Matthew was owned and based in Bristol, transporting goods between Bristol and European ports. A Trade Ship Circumstantial evidence suggests that the Matthew was not built specifically for Cabot's voyage. First, there would not have been enough time to build and outfit such a vessel. Second, it would have cost less to charter a ship from the local supply than to build a new one. Bristol was a port city and trade hub where typically between 20 and 25 vessels were registered.

About half would have weighed 50 tons or more. Finally, it appears that none of Bristol's other discovery voyages between 1480 and 1505 used purpose-built vessels. This suggests that the Matthew was an ordinary commercial ship that Cabot's investors chartered for the 1497 exploratory voyage. By November 1498, the Matthew was engaged in ordinary commercial employment. Recently uncovered court documents also connect it to at least two smuggling operations, one in November 1498 involving an illegal shipment of textiles, and the second in 1500 involving a cargo of salmon. Bristol's customs accounts give us further insight into its career. According to the 1503/04 records, the Matthew departed Bristol for Ireland in December 1503 with a load of woolen cloth, silk, and wine. It returned in May 1504 with salt fish and animal skins. In June, it shipped textiles to Bordeaux and returned to Bristol on 12 August with salt and woad – a plant that produces blue dye. It departed for Spain on 28 August with another shipment of textiles. Such trade was typical for the period.

The Matthew reappears in the historical record on 27 October 1510, when it arrived at Bristol from Bordeaux with 20 tons of wine. It is not listed in a 1513 survey of Bristol shipping, which suggests that the vessel went out of service sometime between 1511 and 1513. The survey does list a New Matthew – a 120 ton vessel owned by one of Bristol's richest merchants, John Shipman. All later mentions of that vessel refer to it as simply the Matthew, suggesting that there was no other similarly named vessel registered to the port. Present-Day Reconstructions To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Cabot's 1497 voyage, a full-size replica of the Matthew was reconstructed at Bristol by the naval architect Colin Mudie and the boat-building company Storms'l Services (later renamed the Bristol Classic Boat Company). Mudie based his design on archaeological data and on late-medieval illustrations of caravels. Shipwrights began work in February 1994 and it took them two years to complete the $3.8-million project.

In 1997, the replica Matthew sailed across the Atlantic as part of the quincentenial celebrations. After 54 days at sea, it arrived at Bonavista on 24 June 1997, where it was welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II and 30,000 spectators. The Matthew then toured Newfoundland and the eastern seaboard before wintering in Toronto. It returned to Bristol in 1998. Replica of the Matthew Built at Bonavista, NL The Newfoundland and Labrador government paid for a second replica of the Matthew that was built at Bonavista soon after the 500th anniversary celebrations. Reproduced by permission of John McQuarrie © 2013. From McQuarrie, John, Spirit of Place: St. John's, the Avalom and the English Shore Then and Now, (Ottawa: Magic Light Publishing, 2013), 155. The provincial government paid for a second replica and interpretation centre to be built at the town of Bonavista soon after the 500th anniversary celebrations. They remain important tourist attractions. Article by Jenny Higgins.

©2013, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site John Cabot - Exploration - HISTORY.com Google John Cabot’s Early Life Giovanni Caboto was born circa 1450 in Genoa, and moved to Venice around 1461; he became a Venetian citizen in 1476. Evidence suggests that he worked as a merchant in the spice trade of the Levant, or eastern Mediterranean, and may have traveled as far as Mecca, then an important trading center for Oriental and Western goods. He studied navigation and map-making during this period, and (similarly to his countryman Christopher Columbus ) appears to have become interested in the possibility of reaching the rich markets of Asia by sailing in a westward direction. Did You Know? John Cabot's landing in 1497 is generally thought to be the first European encounter with the North American continent since Leif Eriksson and the Vikings explored the area they called Vinland in the 11th century.

For the next several decades, Cabot’s exact activities are unknown; he may have spent several years in Valencia and Seville, Spain, and may have been in Valencia in 1493, when Columbus passed through the city on his way to report to the Spanish monarchs the results of his western voyage (including his mistaken belief that he had in fact reached Asia). By late 1495, Cabot had reached Bristol, England, a port city that had served as a starting point for several previous expeditions across the North Atlantic. From there, he worked to convince the British crown that England did not have to stand aside while Spain claimed most of the New World, and that it was possible to reach Asia on a more northerly route than the one Columbus had taken. Cabot’s First Voyage In 1496, King Henry VII issued letters patent to Cabot and his son, which authorized them to make a voyage of discovery and to return with goods for sale on the English market. After a first, aborted attempt, Cabot sailed out of Bristol on the small ship Matthew in May 1497, with a crew of 18 men.

The expedition made landfall in North America on June 24; the exact location is disputed, but may have been southern Labrador, the island of Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. When Cabot went ashore, he reportedly saw signs of habitation but no people. He took possession of the land for King Henry, but hoisted both the English and Venetian flags. Cabot explored the area and named various features of the region, including Cape Discovery, Island of St. John, St. George’s Cape, Trinity Islands and England’s Cape. These may correspond to modern-day places located around what became known as Cabot Strait, the 60-mile-wide channel running between southwestern Newfoundland and northern Cape Breton Island. Like Columbus, Cabot believed that he had reached Asia’s northeast coast, and returned to Bristol in August 1497 with extremely favorable reports of the exploration. Cabot’s Second Voyage In London in late 1497, Cabot proposed to King Henry VII that he set out on a second expedition across the north Atlantic. This time, he would continue westward from his first landfall until he reached the island of Cipangu (Japan).

In February 1498, the king issued letters patent for the second voyage, and that May Cabot set off from Bristol with about five ships and 200 men. The exact fate of the expedition has not been established, but by July one of the ships had been damaged and sought anchorage in Ireland. It was believed that the ships had been caught in a severe storm, and by 1499, Cabot himself was presumed to have perished at sea. In addition to laying the groundwork for British land claims in Canada, his expeditions proved the existence of a shorter route across the northern Atlantic Ocean, which would later facilitate the establishment of other British colonies in North America. Tags John Cabot John Cabot The first documented European to arrive in North America after the Norse was Giovanni Caboto. While argument still persists over his birthplace - Venice or Genoa - when he sailed for a British king, his name was anglicized to John Cabot. King Henry VII of England authorized Cabot to "seek out, discover and find whatsoever isles, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels...

in what part of the world soever they be, which before this time have beene unknowen to all Christians." A replica of John Cabot's ship 'The Matthew' sails off the coast of Newfoundland, July 1997. (Scene from Canada: A People's History) England was attempting to keep up with the Spaniards who had sent their own expedition west under Christopher Columbus years earlier. Columbus' journey had been a probe to find a new route to the markets of the Orient but he got it wrong. He left Spain, boldly crossed the Atlantic and mistakenly declared that the islands he found there were the Atlantic shores of Asia: the West Indies. "Signor Christopher Columbus of Genoa had discovered the coast of India and it was spoken of grandly... It was more divine than human to have found that way never before known, to get to the Orient, from where the spices originate." Imaginary Medallion portrait of John Cabot, from a memoir published in Venice in 1881. It was 1492 and his discovery was received in Europe with fanfare, and envy.

Not to be outdone by the Spanish, King Henry VII selected Caboto, who was living with his family in the English port of Bristol, to cross the Atlantic and plant a flag for England. Cabot sailed from Bristol on May 2, 1497 on a single ship, christened the Matthew after his wife, Matea. Cabot set a more northerly route then Columbus, settling into higher Atlantic currents. Four and a half weeks later he sighted land. On St. John's Day -- June 24, 1497 Cabot set into a bay and named the area 'Terra Nova' or "New Found Land." The events of discovery were recorded by two foreign agents from England; Raimondo Soncino and Lorenzo Pasqualigo and by a Bristol merchant, John Day. Day's letter, written in the winter of 1497-98, describes a single landing on the same day Cabot spotted land. When Cabot and a few men went ashore they raised a cross and the banner of England, claiming the territory for Christianity and for the King, Cabot's commercial backer.

Following a trail inland, Cabot and his men came to a clearing with a dead campfire and a short stick that had been carved and painted. The abandoned site may have belonged to the Beothuk and it was a fitting introduction to a tribe that would prove so elusive. Cabot retrieved fresh water, then got nervous and returned to his ship, which he sailed along the coast for another month. Returning to the place where he made landfall, Cabot set out again for England on July 20, 1497. On August 6, 1497 the crowd at the docks back in Bristol received Cabot as a hero. Not only had he claimed new land for England, but he had also found a seemingly bottomless supply of codfish, what the English called stockfish. Cabot immediately reported his discoveries to the king, telling him that there were so many fish in the waters of the Atlantic that they could be caught with a basket lowered over the side of a boat. Henry VII duly rewarded Cabot for his successful voyage, congratulating the explorer with a cash bonus, an annual pension, and royal permission to follow up with a larger expedition.

Cabot did set out on a follow-up voyage, leaving England with five ships in 1498, but he didn't make it back to his "New Found Land." All five ships and all hands aboard them were lost at sea. John Cabot Sails for North America | History Today John Cabot Sails for North America USA John Cabot set sail from Bristol, England, looking for a route to the west on May 20th 1497. John Cabot in traditional Venetian garb by Giustino Menescardi (1762). A mural painting in the Sala dello Scudo in the Palazzo Ducale, Venice. While Christopher Columbus' monumentally bad sense of direction in 1492, which led to his discovery of the Americas, has been celebrated down the centuries as the pinnacle of the Age of Discovery, the equally confused meanderings of his countryman, John Cabot, have perhaps received less attention than they deserve. Cabot was not the first man to set foot in North America – millions of Native Americans had seen to that.

Nor was he the first European on the continent (the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in Canada lays to rest once and for all the argument as to who got there first). Worse, he was not even the first Englishman to stride out confidently into God's own country. Yet when Cabot's ship, the Matthew, landed in what today is eastern Canada in June 1497, he began Britain's long and eventful association with the New World that continues to this day. With a neat – and typical – sense of symmetry Columbus claimed the sultry southern half of the New World for Spain, while Cabot secured the windswept and frozen north for Henry Vll. Thus began a fierce rivalry between imperial Spain and Tudor and Stuart Britain over spheres of influence in the area that in time threw up characters as colourful as Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain Henry Morgan and 'Blackbeard', Edward Teach It was a rivalry, however, that may have claimed Cabot himself as its first victim. Born Giovanni Caboto in Italy in 1450, after plying his trade as a sailor across the Mediterranean, Cabot moved to England in 1484 to try his luck there.

When Christopher Columbus, a fellow Genoese sailor, discovered America in 1492, he sparked off a rush of westward voyages by sailors, explorers and adventurers looking for the elusive western route to the Indies. Already mindful that. the Spanish had a head start on him in opening up the New World, Henry Vll in England took up Cabot's proposal that he set sail to find a westward route to Japan. With the merchants of Bristol, Henry raised the funds to set Cabot on his way, and the Matthew was built, crewed and supplied to set sail in June 1497. When Cabot landed not in Japan but on the North American mainland he remained unfazed and simply claimed the 'New Founde Lands' for the crown For establishing this foothold in Britain's new overseas empire Cabot was showered with riches to the tune of £10 and encouraged to undertake a second expedition as soon as possible. But unlike later pioneers of Britain's overseas expansion – his £10 reward notwithstanding – Cabot was not to profit from his labours. On his second voyage in 1498 he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

It was not long before the rumours began that the Spanish had murdered Cabot in order to steal his valuable maps and charts of the north-eastern American coastline. While, and perhaps because, this has never been proved, it is a rumour that persists today. Certainly, many more deaths followed as the Spanish and the British struggled to carve out their own areas of interest on the mainland and in the islands of the Americas, or as the region became an area for Britain and Spain to carry on the European conflicts by proxy, such as during the War of the Spanish Succession where the American battlefields were almost as important as those in Europe. Ultimately, of course, Britain came to dominate the continent, at least until George III managed to mislay it during a small dispute over tea and taxes 300 years later. By that time Britain's imprint on the Americas, initiated by an Italian serving under a Welsh monarch and ended by a German king of England, had left an indelible mark, shaping many of America's customs and institutions and prefiguring the polyglot society that America is today.

Question: What was the name of the ship upon which John Cabot sailed to Newfoundland in 1497?
Answer: MATTHEW